Purpose: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is prevalent and could damage the health of non-smokers, especially that of pregnant women (PW) and postpartum women (PPW). Nevertheless, there is no study on the impact of SHS during pregnancy on the quality of life (QOL) of PW and PPW. The study's purpose is to study the effects of exposure to SHS on the QOL of pregnant and postpartum women and health of the newborns.
Methods: Self-reports and urine tests for cotinine were used to obtain data on SSH exposure in 296 women in the second trimester of pregnancy and 106 women in the postpartum period at the Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinic located in a university hospital. The WHOQOL-BREF-THAI and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to assess QOL and postpartum depression, respectively.
Results: Of the participants, 88.2% of PW and 62.3% of PPW reported exposure to SHS during pregnancy. Of the PPW, 5.7% had postpartum depression. PW with good QOL were less likely to have family member who smoked (p = 0.007) or to be exposed to SHS in public parks (p = 0.037) or in the household or workplace (p = 0.011). Likewise, PPW with good QOL in the psychological domain were less likely to be exposed to SHS during pregnancy, as shown in both verbal report (p = 0.010) and objective measure of urine cotinine test (p = 0.034). In addition, maternal exposure to SHS during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight and other health problems in the newborns (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Exposure to SHS during pregnancy is associated with a lower QOL and a poorer health condition in the newborns.
Keywords: Cigarette; Postpartum women; Pregnant women; Prenatal exposure; Quality of life; Secondhand smoke.